Chef227
Iron
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- Dec 24, 2025
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Table Of Contents
Hypertrophy/Training Explanation
- Explanation
- Important Terms/Ideas
- Optimization
How to Apply SBL to Your Training
- Important Muscles
- Examples
Going to the gym is amazing for your health in general, but how can it relate to looksmaxxing? Growing the muscles that make your frame appear wider/larger is the most common goal and in this guide I will help you get started on doing just that.
Hypertrophy/Training Explanation
Two things are required for a muscle to grow from a stimulus, mechanical stress (Tension on fibers in a series) and metabolic stress (Recruitment and fatigue of motor units caused by mechanical stress). These stimuli are received by motor neurons and sent to the brain. This signal triggers an increase in motor unit recruitment (MUR) specifically in type two muscle fibers and muscle protein synthesis.
You have probly heard these words like a hundred billion times on TikTok. If so keep scrolling, if not stay and read a bit. The two main terms to know are Mechanical Tension (MT) and Motor Unit Recruitment (MUR). Mechanical Tension is the physical force exerted when they contract under load. Motor Unit Recruitment is the amount of muscles fibers used by motor neurons. The best analogy I have found to relate the two is thinking of MT as a calculus lesson and MUR as the preexisting knowledge of the student learning. If you teach it to a kindergartener (Low MUR) they can't do much of anything because they don't have the base knowledge to understand. If you give the same materials to a high school student (Higher MUR) they may understand it a lot more because they are smarter. The more MUR you have, the more fibers are recruited and experience MT resulting in more hypertrophy.
How can we apply what you just read to your training. There are a few more factors to discuss before going into more details. These are intensity, frequency, and volume. Intensity is best measure by Reps in Reserve (RIR). The intensity you take your sets to depends on your personal needs and prefrences but should roughly be 0-2 rir. Volume is the total number of sets of a movement pattern done per session or week. Frequency is the number of times you train a movements per week. These two go hand in hand because your frequency can reflect your volume and recovery needs. Frequency should bare minimum be 2x per week for every movement and volume is rarely the same for everyone. Your reps per set should be roughly between 5-10 regardless or the movement or muscle. To find your volume, start with a number you estimate is close and stick with it. If you are too tired/fatigued than lower it the set count, if you feel absolutely nothing session to session than increase the set count. As long as the weight/reps increase somewhat week to week through progressive overload than your doing something right.
Progressive overload is a MUST to get bigger, you will never grow without pushing yourself. This can be in the form of adding some weight or reps. Any intensifier that is meaningful and progress able is counted as progressive overload.
Maximizing MUR is very import to make your training worth the time and effort. Some ways to do this is removing limiting factors unnecessary muscles with tools like lifting straps or a seatbelt. Stabilizing your movements like using a preacher curl instead of standing standardizes your form and makes it easier to overload without losing your form. Another example is using straps on lat pulldown, it takes grip out of the movement so your body can focus on your lats more. There are plents of videos online for guides of how to stabilize movements and I highly recommend them.
Progressive overload is a MUST to get bigger, you will never grow without pushing yourself. This can be in the form of adding some weight or reps. Any intensifier that is meaningful and progress able is counted as progressive overload.
Maximizing MUR is very import to make your training worth the time and effort. Some ways to do this is removing limiting factors unnecessary muscles with tools like lifting straps or a seatbelt. Stabilizing your movements like using a preacher curl instead of standing standardizes your form and makes it easier to overload without losing your form. Another example is using straps on lat pulldown, it takes grip out of the movement so your body can focus on your lats more. There are plents of videos online for guides of how to stabilize movements and I highly recommend them.
How To Apply SBL To Your Training
- View diagrams below before reading
In this section I will be outlining the muscles you need to train to build your frame and some other misc ones you should also probably train.
Lateral Deltoids
These are the first muscle most people thing to train when widening your frame and for good reason. They make you look giant even in shirts and are extremely easy to train. The lateral deltoid's function is shoulder abduction aka raising arm sideways next to your body. The three best options to train your delts are a machine lateral raise, a cable, or a dumbell. Only one of these is needed, any more would be redundant but the absolute best if available would be a machine raise.
Latissimus Dorsi
This muscle performs shoulder adduction and is located under your arm. it opposes the lateral deltoid but is equally important to your frame. When you have larger lats it pushed your arms wider to make you bigger and make your back look way wider from the back. The two movements that can target the lat are a frontal pulldown or a sagittal row/pulldown. Frontal pulldown will target more upper lat fibers while a sagittal movement will target more lower. Training both functions is completely optional and up to exercise selection preference but choosing one or the other or both works. When choosing a pulldown, any movement with a hip pad regardless or cable or machine should work well. Sagittal pulldowns or rows are similar, if it feels good and you feel your lats engage it is stable.
Traps/Rear Deltoids
These muscles are less for aesthetics but will help you improve your posture. A stronger upper compared to your pecs will naturally pull your shoulders a bit further back without you having to uncomfortably force it. Your traps can get targted from a sagittal row if you retract your scapula. Other options can be kelso shrugs, rear delt fly, or an upper back row like a T-bar.
Forearms
Forearms are especially important in t-shirts to trick people into thinking you are bigger than you are, also girls find big forearms hot as fuck for the most part. Wrist flexion and extension are the only two movements needed to grow them effectively. Using a dumbell or D-handel on a cable are the two best options but a barbell or ez-bar would work too if you prefer them. It is a myth that muscles like forearms and calves need higher reps. Stay in the 5-10 range like any other muscle because they are like any other.
Lateral Deltoids
These are the first muscle most people thing to train when widening your frame and for good reason. They make you look giant even in shirts and are extremely easy to train. The lateral deltoid's function is shoulder abduction aka raising arm sideways next to your body. The three best options to train your delts are a machine lateral raise, a cable, or a dumbell. Only one of these is needed, any more would be redundant but the absolute best if available would be a machine raise.
Latissimus Dorsi
This muscle performs shoulder adduction and is located under your arm. it opposes the lateral deltoid but is equally important to your frame. When you have larger lats it pushed your arms wider to make you bigger and make your back look way wider from the back. The two movements that can target the lat are a frontal pulldown or a sagittal row/pulldown. Frontal pulldown will target more upper lat fibers while a sagittal movement will target more lower. Training both functions is completely optional and up to exercise selection preference but choosing one or the other or both works. When choosing a pulldown, any movement with a hip pad regardless or cable or machine should work well. Sagittal pulldowns or rows are similar, if it feels good and you feel your lats engage it is stable.
Traps/Rear Deltoids
These muscles are less for aesthetics but will help you improve your posture. A stronger upper compared to your pecs will naturally pull your shoulders a bit further back without you having to uncomfortably force it. Your traps can get targted from a sagittal row if you retract your scapula. Other options can be kelso shrugs, rear delt fly, or an upper back row like a T-bar.
Forearms
Forearms are especially important in t-shirts to trick people into thinking you are bigger than you are, also girls find big forearms hot as fuck for the most part. Wrist flexion and extension are the only two movements needed to grow them effectively. Using a dumbell or D-handel on a cable are the two best options but a barbell or ez-bar would work too if you prefer them. It is a myth that muscles like forearms and calves need higher reps. Stay in the 5-10 range like any other muscle because they are like any other.
This written below is an example or something I may run if I had similar goals to the information listed above. Not everything is tailored perfectly so don't follow it number for number of you do take inspiration.
(Day A, Day B, Rest, Repeat)
Day A:
- Machine Lateral Raise x3
- Saggital Row x2
- Chest Press x3
- Rear Delt Flies x3
- Wrist Flexion x3
Day B:
- Frontal Pulldown x3
- Kelso Shrugs x2
- Wrist Extension x3
- Bicep Curls/Tricep Pushdown Superset x2
The volume listed above is quite high for 2.5x fequency but it is possible if you have decent recovery. All muscles in the section above this one are hit with the addition of chest, biceps, and triceps. Legs could be added too but they are unimportant to the example
Other common splits are:
- Push, Pull, Legs
- Full Body EOD
- Anterior Posterior
- Upper Lower
- Push, Pull, Legs, Upper, Lower,
(Day A, Day B, Rest, Repeat)
Day A:
- Machine Lateral Raise x3
- Saggital Row x2
- Chest Press x3
- Rear Delt Flies x3
- Wrist Flexion x3
Day B:
- Frontal Pulldown x3
- Kelso Shrugs x2
- Wrist Extension x3
- Bicep Curls/Tricep Pushdown Superset x2
The volume listed above is quite high for 2.5x fequency but it is possible if you have decent recovery. All muscles in the section above this one are hit with the addition of chest, biceps, and triceps. Legs could be added too but they are unimportant to the example
Other common splits are:
- Push, Pull, Legs
- Full Body EOD
- Anterior Posterior
- Upper Lower
- Push, Pull, Legs, Upper, Lower,
Its 2 am so im gonna go to bed, let me know if I should add anything and give a bump. Night yall
